I've had a chance to venture over to the Triangle over the last two weekends. There are local municipal races throughout many towns and cities in the Tarheel State, including Greensboro, Chapel Hill, Burlington, Hillsborough and even the tiny hamlet of Yanceyville.
Residents in Yanceyville, (population circa 3,000) are apparently unhappy that there are actually parking meters downtown........as one local citizen told the local paper "The Caswell Messenger"- Yanceyville is not exactly New York City.
But, apparently, one of the more fascinating local races in the area appears to be in Durham. Ironically, in 2005, the documentary film "Street Fight" about a veyr heated mayorial election in Newark, NJ, was one of the most talked-about films at the Full Frame Film Festival, which takes place in Durham every April.
The local alternative weekly paper in the Triangle, "Independent Weekly," gave a reluctant endorsement to incumbent Democratic Mayor Bill Bell, who is an African-American, in the Durham race. Bell faces Thomas Stith, a four-term city councilman who is the lone conservative on the Durham City Council.
The journal said that while Stith's points have valid credibility, one who looks at the mayorial race objectively has to also consider that the challenger is the one who is least involved with his committee meetings. "Independent Weekly" pointed out that Stith has missed more meetings than anyone else on City Council.
The paper also said that Stith is often the lone disenter on City Council votes. In conclusion, "Independent Weekly" laid out the following statement about why they ultimately endorsed Bell:
"The mayor leads the council meetings but has no more power than other council members; the city can not afford to have a mayor who doesn't share the burden, or one who leads from a political minority. We endorse Bill Bell. We hope that he'll see thorugh Stith's rhetoric and take some of his criticims to heart."
"Independent Weely" said that Mayor Bell says his biggest accomplishment has been revitalizing the Tobacco District and implementing a summer youth jobs program.
In addition to Duke University, Durham is known as the home of perhaps America's most familiar minor league baseball team The Durham Bulls thanks to the 1988 film "Bull Durham."
There are also a few interesting political races just over the state line in my native state of Virginia. Henry County (the Martinsville area) is choosing a new sheriff as their old one is now in a federal pen in Penn., for helping the agency deal drugs that were confiscated as evidence.
And, in the Danville area, voters will choose between incumbent Republican Danny Marshall and Danville City Councilman Adam Tomer, who is a mere 27 years of age. The General Assembly is in the balance as Democrats, like Tomer, hope to gain seats.
My friend Morgan Griffith, of Salem, Va., the Republican House Minority Leader in the General Assembly told "The Roanoke Times" that rural voters will come out to support Republican candidates because of 'shared values.'
Griffith makes those statements at a time when balance of power has shifted. Both Gov. Tim Kaine and Sen. James Webb, who are Democrats, pulled off major political upsets in their races which occured in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Griffith also said that Del. Brian Moran*, a Democrat from northern Virginia who would gain power in Richmond if their horses win the derby, was indicative of a person who did not have southwest Virginia values.
As a Democrat, I would assure Griffith that should the Democrats achieve the slightly unexpected and take control of the House of Delegates that Moran, whose brother is Cong. Jim Moran (D-Va.), would likely perform far better than the inept House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The only remotely nice thing I can say about her these days is that she is not as awful as George W. Bush!
I hope you enjoy Election Day and your local race, which are usually far more interesting than they appear on the surface.
*-corrected from earlier posting, which said the delegate was Jim Moran. It is in fact his brother Brian Moran.
Useful Links:
If you live in the Greensboro area, you may also want to check out "Yes Weekly!"
My friends Brian Clarey (editor) and Jordan Green (reporter) put together a great alternative weekly which should provide insightful in-depth analysis regarding the mayor's race in Greensboro.
Time permitting, I will try to have some results about these races posted on this blog later in the week.
As for me, I am not offering any endorsements this year..........a first!
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